Today is Thanksgiving, a holiday that is special to the United States of America.  At the end of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving  a holiday.

During the Civil War, I lost a distant cousin in the battle of Gettysburg. His name was James Henry Triplett and he was 20 years old.  Twenty-two months before his death, he wrote a letter to his mother and sister.
                                                                                                                 Born: November 3, 1843     Died: July 1, 1863 on the battlefield of Gettysburg

Ship Point, York Co. Va.
September 4, 1861

My Dear Mother and Sister,

I received both of your kind letter late last night and was indeed very glad to hear from home again.  I have had a bad spell of Bilious fever since we left Yorktown and am very week yet.  If I take proper care of myself I shall be as well as ever.  I think that this may be a healthier place than Yorktown, but the water is very bad, mudy (sic),  and salty. We are encamped on a point of land on the Bay, covered with pines.  We have pine poles for a bed, pine poles for a table, and pine poles to cook with, and have to make a smoke with pine brush in front of our tents at night to keep off mosquitoes. I received the oil cloth and drawers that were sent and like them very well.   I do not know whether to send for my overcoat or not but I will need another blanket pretty soon.  If you have any chance to send a small box I would like to have some paper & envelopes ink & pens,(jsp?) I would like to have some butter too, but you need not trouble  too much.  We can get plenty of fish and sweet potatoes here and a few chickens, by exchanging our bacon.

Our regiment has never been paid off yet.  We have not seen anything of the Yankees yet except ships, we see vessels sailing down the Cheasepeake (sic) everyday and one of the Blockade Steamer is constantly in sight.   Jim Young, Bob Coleman, Stringer or Dringler; and several others were out scouting last night.  They caught a Tori Verginian (sic), near fortrep Munroe; who was keeping a light house on some point there, for the Yankees.  He was sent to Yorktown this morning.

Gen Hill is here looking well as ever.  We can hear heavy firing here almost everyday, and our chance for a fight a pretty good.

I would like very much to be at home now too eat apples & peaches.

Our time will e out about the 18th of Nov.  The I will be home to spend the winter as soon as I get there.  Give my love to all the family.  I want to see you all very much. Give my love to all my friends, and write again soon.

                                                                                                   Affectionately Yours

James
                                                                                                  
This is all the paper that I've got and it is borrowed, so I wrote to both of you at once.  James

James Henry 
Born: November 3, 1843
Died: July 1, 1863  ( Died in the Civil War in Gettysburg)

(James Henry's brother and sister died the same year that he died but I do not know the cause).

When I think of James Henry Triplett, I think of a young man that is full of life and vitality.  I think of a man who thought he was doing the right thing for his country.  It is very difficult for me to picture him lying dead on the battlefield of Gettysburg.  It is hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact, that because of his death and the death of thousands of other young men, we have marked  a holiday. On the other hand, and on the brighter side, it marks the freedom from slavery, every man, woman and child of color, in the United States of America. It marks the day that the United States President declared that all people are created equal. It marks the day that no matter the color of our skin, we are all brothers and sisters.

Thanksgiving  is a day to give thanks. And I am, indeed,  very very thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving